


The Bane of your Existence

by lmao5sos



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Bookstore AU, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, How dare he, Lightly based off 10 minutes I saw of that film Nottinghill, M/M, but Alec thinks magnus is annoying and arrogant at first, coffee shop AU, famous au, magnus is incredible, not exactly enemies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-11-06 09:21:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11033286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lmao5sos/pseuds/lmao5sos
Summary: When a mysterious, well-dressed stranger bangs on the door of the Lightwood's café-bookstore, Alec is forced to let him in. What harm can it really do, rather than interrupt his peaceful reading?Suddenly, Alec finds himself pulled into the world of tabloids, crazed fans, paparazzi and twitter, dragging his siblings and Simon with him for the ride.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm awful at summaries so if you've decided to read despite that mess, then thanks! This is my first attempt at a multi-chaptered fic on ao3 and I'm really excited! Like I said in the tags, I watched like 10 minutes of that Nottinghill film with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant (I really must watch it to the end) and the plot loosely inspired this!

Alec loved early mornings. He was always at the café an hour before opening times, so he could drink his own coffee, read a little of his book, and get the place ready for customers. He lived in quiet, peaceful bliss for that one hour a day, a far cry from his busy, loud, cluttered life. 

Or not.

This particular lazy Sunday morning, Alec had barely finished a chapter when an insistent tapping sounded on the door. At first he ignored it, guessing it was a gust of wind or an animal. He continued reading until the tapping became more frantic and he was forced to tear his attention away from his book and glance up. He almost jumped when he was met with the sight of a man, sporting a baseball cap and sunglasses. He quickly composed himself and shook his head, pointing to the glaringly obvious, glittery (Isabelle had made it), yellow 'closed' sign with a fake apologetic shrug. The stranger stomped a foot and gestured dramatically, exasperation clear in his actions. Alec's refusal to let him in didn't stop him, and he continued to rap on the door. 

Eventually, Alec had read the same paragraph five times, and was completely unable to focus on anything else but the irritating knocking. Voices could be heard getting louder and louder in the distance, making the man even more insistent. Alec barged up to the cherry-red door, unlocked it and flung it open, a glare on his face. He knew it was bad customer service, but technically he wasn't even supposed to be serving customers yet. He gave him the most scathing look he could muster, and stomped back to the desk he had been sitting behind. The man, after hurrying inside and locking the door behind him, seemed unfazed, flashing a gleaming smile.

"A large, quad, non-fat, one-pump, no-whip mocha please, darling."

Alec let out a defeated sigh and didn't even bother commenting on the customers rather elaborate order - this wasn't Starbucks - and went to make the coffee while the man roamed the shelves.

Alec and his siblings ran a Café-Bookstore. Customers could come in, pay for their coffee and/or baked good and sit down with a book from the large collection the Lightwoods had. Often they would purchase the book they had chosen, possibly along with any others that caught their eye. Alec was in charge of the coffees, hot chocolates, teas, and any other drinks that were desired. Jace spent his days baking cookies and cakes and pastries, his croissants being in popular demand. Isabelle manned the till, and often wandered around the store, recommending her favourite books to indecisive customers. They made a fabulous team, and their business flourished, much to the chagrin of their politician parents.

Alec had just placed the coffee in front of the intrusive customer - gaining a 10 dollar bill and an instruction to 'keep the change' - when a key could be heard and Isabelle bounced through the door, just before they were due to open up.

"I am so sorry I'm late - I went out last night and woke up in this total strangers house in bed with like, five other people in Manhattan and I didn't remember anything so I had to-" she cut off abruptly, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"Why is there a suspicious looking man in here before opening time?" 

Alec shrugged and explained how the customer had been irritating and had refused to go away, earning an alarmed look and a slap on the arm from Izzy.

"What if he was a murderer, Alec?! You could be dead!"

Alec rolled his eyes at his sisters dramatics and made towards the door to flip the sign to 'open'.

"Well, I'm still alive, so that's a win. He might have been homeless, or something. Maybe I was trying to do something for the greater good!"

Isabelle hushed him and glanced over to the corner of the store, where The Customer™ was sat, her eyebrows raising. 

"He is most definitely not homeless. Those are Yves Saint Laurent boots!" 

The words meant nothing to Alec, who nodded his head absentmindedly, turning his attention towards the blonde who was rushing through the door.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I should have been here an hour ago, I know, me and Simon were- well that doesn't mat- I'll start on the cookies right aw- we have a customer? It's 8am!"

Isabelle immediately glared at her brother and mouthed for him to keep it down - she was desperate not to offend the stranger. 

Now that Izzy had mentioned that he was wearing some type of boots, Alec couldn't help but feel a need to look at what the man was wearing, even though he had zero interest in clothing. Nevertheless, he noted that The Customer™ had removed his sunglasses and his grey coat, showing a maroon shirt that revealed a lot of chest, tight skinny jeans and of course, the average looking boots that Alec guessed - from Izzy's reaction - cost more than the entire contents of the store. 

The man's face still wasn't visible, even after the disappearance of the giant sunnies, as his hat covered most of his face. He sipped his elaborate coffee and read his book, and Alec, ever the aspiring writer, couldn't help but wonder what his story was. Why had he been so insistent to come into this place? There were so many other cafés or bookstores in the vicinity that were probably open. Why was he disguising his face? Why was he up so early on a Sunday morning? Why -

Alec was woken up from his little reverie when the bell on the door chimed, signalling their second customer of the day. He pushed the mysterious man from his mind and bit back a groan as the woman in front of him ordered an iced, half caff, ristretto, venti, 4-pump, sugar free, cinnamon, dolce soy skinny latte. Venti?! Seriously, this was not Starbucks.

_________________________________

The day went by in a flash, the store constantly busy with varied types of people. Everyone sitting down was either on their own or sitting in comfortable silence with someone else as they read their respective books. 

Alec smiled as he heard a young girl exclaim to her mother that the 'paparats' were outside. The paparazzi had been especially prominant today, as if they had been tipped off that some celebrity was nearby. Throughout the day he often got glances of them walking past the door, clad in all black with various cameras swinging on their necks. 

The mysterious stranger was still in his place at the back of the store, still with his cap pulled low over his face. 

As the day began to wind down and customers began to filter out, Alec gathered his siblings together. 

"So, who's gonna be the one to tell mystery guy to fuck off?"

Izzy glanced at him, offended on behalf of the man.

"Alec, sh! He'll hear you!"

Alec rolled his eyes in return, shaking his head at his sister.

"Good! Then none of us will have to tell him to get the hell out of here!"

Isabelle opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by the bell on the door ringing. Simon, Jace's roommate, loped in, and slung his Star Wars backpack onto one of the tables.

"I," he began to announce loudly, "have had the worst possible day ever."

The three Lightwood siblings raised their eyebrows. Simon was either always overtly positive or dramatically negative, and today was evidently no different.

"Care to elaborate?" Jace asked, grabbing one of the croissants he had kept for Simon as he spoke.

"Well. First of all, accountancy is HARD. I'm gonna drop out. I can't do it. I'll have to become a busker on the streets, barely making cents."

This earned eye rolls from Jace and Alec, while Isabelle nodded sympathetically. 

"Second of all, Clary's in town."

No amount of sympathy could stop Izzy from joining her brothers raising an eyebrow in disdain at this comment.

"Clary, as in made up girlfriend Clary?"

Ever since the trio had met Simon, he had always told them about his childhood best friend (and ex-girlfriend, but we don't talk about that), Clary Fray, who had moved to California. At first, they thought it was sweet that Simon loved and missed his best friend that much. However, as time went on and they hadn't met her, and Simon couldn't give them much information about her, 

("what does she do?"  
"Uh, she tells me she works with celebrities, but thats as much as I know" )

they began to think she wasn't real. Isabelle couldn't even find her on any social media. 

"She's real, and she's not my girlfriend. Thing is, I think I want her to be? Again? But she, like, works with famous people! Who are all gorgeous and talented! She probably has some hot actor boyf-"

Simon was interrupted by the sound of a billion phone notifications going off at once. Everyone turned to face the man in the corner, who they had forgotten about. He smiled sheepishly, his hat removed, and held his phone up to his ear, making his way to the bathroom for privacy.

"Ah Raphael, dear! Oh calm down, Raj needed a day off-"

Alec shook his head on irritation, and turned back to the group. To his confusion, everyone looked shell-shocked. Simon and Isabelle slowly began to grin ear to ear and Jace's jaw had dropped. 

"Am I...missing something?" Alec asked slowly.

"That is Magnus Bane Alec! Oh my god oh my god how did you not notice it was him?? Oh my god we have to get a picture with him!"

Alec was still none the wiser, and Jace noticed this.

"Alec, dude, come on. Magnus Bane? Two-time Oscar winner? Everyone's favourite actor? The most famous guy on the planet?"

It didn't ring any bells, but the man's fame did explain one thing.

"Ah, so that's why there was so much paparazzi around today. They knew he was somewhere on this street."

"And he was so determined to come in here to get away from them!" Isabelle finished for him, clapping her hands in excitement.

When this Magnus guy returned, Simon, Izzy and even Jace were lined up in front of the counter, as if they were about to meet the Queen. 

"I'll be leaving in a few moments, darlings, just waiting for my horse-drawn carriage."

Izzy and Simon giggled at this, and Jace cracked a smile.

"We were wondering if we could take a picture with you? We're all big fans."

Magnus smiled gracefully.

"Of course! Pretty boy-" he peered at Alec's name tag. "Alexander, is it? Alexander, are you not joining us in the photo?"

"It's Alec," he gritted out. Despite his fame, Alec found this Magnus guy to be very annoying. "And I'm taking the picture. I'm not familiar with your work."

Magnus raised an eyebrow in interest but said nothing and stood in between Izzy and Simon.

Once the photo had been taken they began to ask Magnus to sign whatever they could get their hands on.

He was just looping the 'g' in his name on Simon's white t-shirt when the door bashed open and two men came striding through.

"Raphael! Raj! Isn't this a quaint little place?"

The shorter man with the great eyebrows was glowering, and Alec could practically see steam coming out of his ears. The other guy looked incredibly bored with the situation. 

"Magnus, you've wasted an entire day of press. I am not in the mood."

Magnus seemingly ignored the anger in the man's voice and kept his airy demeanour.

"Oh, Raph, you're never in the mood. Just give me a moment, I have a book I need to buy."

He disappeared and returned a couple of seconds later, holding a large hardback book. Alec couldn't see the cover properly, but he got a flash of bright colour as Magnus held it closer to his chest. He took it to the till and pulled the sharpie he had previously been using out. He handed Izzy a handful of five dollar notes, way too much than the book was probably worth, and began to sign it.

When he was finished, he strode up to Alec and placed the book in his hands.

"To remember me by, Alexander." 

And with that, he was escorted from the building by Raphael and Raj, into a black jeep. Camera shutters and shouting could be heard from the paparazzi, who were overjoyed that their waiting had paid off. 

Alec looked down at the book and rolled his eyes. On the front was a picture of Magnus, the title in big blue lettering; "The Bane of your Existance". 

On the inside, Magnus had scrawled a message.

"Alexander, darling. It has been a pleasure sitting in your adorable little café library and sipping your wonderful coffee. Perhaps I could do it again sometime, except with you across from me. 

Call me!"

The phone number of the hotel he was staying in was listed, along with his fake name and a winky face. 

Yeah, as if Alec was going to go on a date with this arrogant, supposedly famous actor. As if.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movie nights, tweets, high tea and Clary Fray.

The next few days were chaos. Pictures of Magnus leaving 'Lightwood's' began to circulate around the Internet, and fans were desperate to sit in the same place as he did, to read the same book he did, to try the drink he ordered. 

The café was forced to conjure up a firm ban on quad, non-fat, one-pump, no-whip mochas, after Magnus tweeted the order. 

Jace and Simon had put the copy of the book Magnus read on eBay for auction, and they had already gotten offers over $2,000, practically causing dollar signs to flash in their eyes. 

"I don't get it," Alec started as he locked the door after a particularly busy day. "If Magnus Bane is so famous, if he's won two Oscars, if his fans are willing to pay big money for something he's touched, why haven't I heard of him before?"

"Because, dear brother, you hardly ever watch films, and when you do, they're irrelevant indie ones that no one has ever heard of," Isabelle remarked.

"That's not true. I marathoned those Space Trek Wars movies with Simon, you know, the ones with Kirk Solo?"

"Just to let you know, I am aware that you are teasing me, and I am not letting it affect me," Simon called (sounding very affected) from where he was set up in the corner, writing a paper. 

Alec chuckled and started wiping down the counter, a comfortable silence settling over them, until Isabelle exclaimed out of nowhere.

"I've just had the most incredible idea!"

Alec and Simon exchanged looks and winced, as the last time she had an incredible idea they had all ended up with food poisoning. 

"We are going to do a marathon of Magnus's best movies, you'll see why him asking you on a date is the best thing ever and you'll fall madly in love with him!"

Isabelle was already typing something on her phone, long red nails tapping quickly, and before anyone could protest a text popped up on their screens.

From: Izzy  
Magnus Bane Movie Night. Attendance mandatory. 8pm sharp, my apartment, bring snacks!

_________________________

Alec had to admit, Magnus deserved those Oscars. They were on their second film of the night and Alec was fighting to hold back tears at a particularly emotional scene. Oddly, this was a relief as the previous film had him blushing and putting a cushion over his crotch - just in case - as Magnus and his co-star, Luke Garroway, played strippers. 

Even Jace, who claimed to be 'straighter than a ruler', had shifted a little from his place on the couch next to Simon and had his eyes glued to the screen. Now, he was a blubbering mess, Simon not much better. 

By the time the credits of the third film were rolling, Alec could sort of understand the world's obsession with this man. He was incredibly talented at what he did - and his dancing and abs certainly weren't a bad addition. 

Isabelle opened her mouth to suggest another film, but Alec pursed his lips and held a finger to them, nodding his head towards Jace and Simon. The two were cuddled together, Simon's head resting on Jace's shoulder, Jace's hand around his waist, a baby blue blanket draped over them. Izzy put her hand to her chest and mouthed 'aww', before pulling out her phone and going into the camera app.

The repeated clicking sound woke Simon as she took 164 pictures and the rest of the night was spent with the two trying to delete them before she had the chance to tweet it. 

______________________

@QueenLightwood:  
Having a @BaneChronicles movie night and @jacehatesducks and @simonlovesducks have the gall to fall asleep! Cute tho #Jimon

Attached is, of course, the photograph. 

_____________________

Alec liked being woken up by classical music, birds chirping or the natural morning light. What Alec did not like was being woken up by Isabelle jumping on him and screaming. 

He groaned as he struggled to open his eyes. His neck and back ached from sleeping on the floor and the cracks his bones made could probably be heard five blocks away as he stretched. 

"Magnus Bane retweeted and followed me! He never follows fans, Alec! Oh my god, he's s-"

A notification pinged on her phone.

"Oh my god. Alec. He tweeted me. About you. He recognised us from the other day! Aaaah!" 

"Great, Izzy. You can tell me all about it at breakfast, in approximately 2 hours."

"We had breakfast a couple of hours ago. You were asleep and we didn't want to wake you." 

She put a hand up to stop Alec's inevitable indignant protests as he sat up, panicked.

"One, we're not open on Tuesdays, remember? Two, no, Jace didn't make anything, all we have is cereal and out-of-date orange juice."

Alec's face dropped. On days that they didn't work, if they were all together in the mornings, Jace would make buttery croissants that truly made the day worth starting. Unfortunately, as Izzy wasn't a particularly good cook, her kitchen was usually empty, save for empty salad boxes and the occasional avocado. 

As he followed her into said kitchen, he could hear her talking about Magnus's tweet and her plans for the day, but his groggy, sleep-clouded mind could barely make out what was being said. He set about trying to make a somewhat nutritious breakfast for himself, ignoring his sister's ramblings. Izzy hadn't been exaggerating about the contents of her kitchen, and Alec found himself munching on dry cornflakes and wishing he had a cup of coffee. 

"I have to head out, but I'll see you at 3, okay?"

He looked at her in confusion, slowly raising an eyebrow.

"At Hotel Dumort? Oh my god, Alec, were you even listening?!"

He shrugged and attempted to force a guilty expression on his face as she sighed in exasperation.

"Clary wants to meet us, so we're all going to the Hotel Dumort at 3 o' clock to have high tea or something, and I swear to god if don't show up for Simon I'll beat your ass."

Alec held his hands up in surrender, his eyes wide, the perfect picture of innocence. Isabelle rolled her eyes fondly and kissed him on the cheek, before rushing out the door, shouting one last threat over her shoulder.

He sat for a while, eating his cereal, something niggling at his mind. 

As he started to clean up, the penny dropped.

The Hotel Dumort was where Magnus Bane was staying. 

___________________________

Normally, Alec didn't really care what he wore. His entire wardrobe was black or dark shades of other colours, with the occasional light grey jumper. This meant that he never had to think too carefully about everything he was putting on, as everything would go together.

However, today that all changed, for two reasons.

One, the Hotel Dumort was a five star hotel in New York City. In other words, it was fancy as hell. They were known for turning people away at the restaurant for not wearing proper attire, and Alec's apparel was anything but fancy.

The second reason was something that Alec didn't really want to admit to himself. Magnus Bane had flirted with him. Magnus Bane had asked him on a date. And no, he wasn't planning on taking him up on that, but if they were to run into each other, Alec wanted to look good. He tried to push that back and pretend it was only the first reason, but, well. 

In the end he settled on a suit from his days at law school that he hoped was smart enough, and set about trying to tame his hair. 

By the time he had settled it down he could hear Jace and Isabelle chatting as they let themselves into his tiny apartment. 

Simon was there too, Alec saw as he left the bathroom and led the way to the elevator, but was uncharacteristically subdued and looked like he may puke.

"Are you sure you said Clary was your friend, Simon? Because, no offence, you look like you're about to meet the boss in some terrifying video game."

Not even Alec talking about video games - a rare occurance - could cause Simon to smile. Instead, he swallowed and let out a deep breath.

"It's just, I haven't seen her in so long. What if it's awkward? I mean, when she first left we facetimed every other day, but that stopped because she was always so busy, we text, sure, but like, we've always been each other's only friend. Now I've made new friends. You guys are like family. She's probably done the same, and that's gotta be weird, right? And, she's been in NY for like a week and we haven't met up until now, that shows somethings off, because she keeps saying she's busy but busy with what? And, I kinda wanted to get back together with her but she's been so secretive about her love life, she's probably married, oh my god, she probably has like three kids-" 

Jace cut Simon off simply by placing a hand on his shoulder, and they all watched in apprehension as Simon breathed heavily, looking on the verge of tears.

Alec hadn't expected Simon to ramble like that, he hadn't realised that he felt that nervous, and his heart broke slightly for the boy. Simon was constantly anxious, but this was a whole new level of anxiety.

Jace tore his worried gaze away from Simon to glance angrily at his brother. He raised his eyebrows and mouthed 'apologise', before turning back to Simon and beginning to rub circles on his back to calm him down.

"Sorry, Simon. Didn't realise you were that upset. I'm sure it'll go fine. From what you've told us, you and Clary are practically family. It doesn't matter how long you've gone without seeing each other, nothing of importance will have changed. And by the way, she left just over a year ago. I think you'd know if she had three kids."

Isabelle shot an impressed look his way and Jace's features softened. 

"Triplets," Simon countered petulantly, but it was evident that Alec's little speech had somehow helped.

The elevator dinged as they reached the ground floor, and Simon stood taller and took a deep breath. 

"But you're right, thanks Alec. I can do this."

___________________ 

After that, Simon tried his best to be his normal, chatty self, but the Lightwoods could tell he was still a little off. His nervous disposition returned when they found themselves outside the Hotel Dumort. The ornate golden doors and the doorman, clad in a full tuxedo and top hat, were enough to intimidate even the poshest of rich people, and these four were far from that.

Still, they forced themselves to keep walking, past the uppity doorman, who frowned at them, and through the imposing doors, into the even more imposing lobby. 

It wasn't difficult to find the dining area where they would be having 'high tea'. The woman checking reservations regarded them with contempt, but their outfits were obviously deemed just about smart enough.

"Ms Fray is awaiting you. Enjoy your tea."

Simon audibly gulped, and the woman gave him disgusted look before turning away. 

He led the way through the tables, looking around for his old friend. When he finally spotted her, it was as if his anxiety about meeting with Clary had never existed. He enveloped her in a hug, the both of them squealing and crying a little, earning the group angry looks from the other diners. 

Clary was tiny, with porcelain skin and ginger hair, and wore a tight pantsuit with heels. She was exactly Izzy's type, and Alec turned to gauge her reaction. His sister definitely found her hot, no doubt. She was practically drooling. He wasn't sure if Jace had a type, but he glanced at him anyway. He wore a small, fond smile that said he was happy for Simon, but didn't seem to be paying attention to Clary.

The siblings all stood awkwardly, waiting to greet her. Alec held out a hand, but she ignored this and hugged him. She did the same with Isabelle and Jace, and while it was sweet, Alec didn't quite like strangers invading his personal space. 

Once they had ordered Simon set about introducing everyone properly, and he and Clary began to share anecdotes about each other while simultaneously catching up. Izzy wasn't flirting with Clary like she'd usually do with a cute girl, probably because Simon had expressed that he wanted to be with her, but Jace was full on batting his eyes at her.

Alec tried to catch his brother's eye, but to no avail. He could practically see Simon deflating as Jace flirted with Clary. When the waitress came with their tea and sandwiches, he pulled him aside.

"Dude. Simon likes Clary. You know that. Stop flirting."

Jace rolled his eyes but stopped taking all of the redhead's attention, instead opting to sulk and shoot half-hearted angry looks at his brother. Alec knew he didn't actually want to flirt with Clary, so what exactly was he up to?

Alec hadn't really been involved in any of the conversation happening, but he tried to make an effort.

"So, Clary, what brings you back to New York and to Hotel Dumort?"

He instantly realised that he should not have asked this question. Clary's eyes widened and she almost resembled a goldfish, mouth opening and closing. 

"Previously I was a makeup artist for a couple of celebrities, but, uh, now I'm one celebrity's manager's PA - it's complicated - but I'm not exactly allowed to say with who - if fans knew where the celebrity was there'd be mayhem, sorry about that, I don't mean to be secretive, I-"

Isabelle cut her off. 

"It's fine, really. Speaking of celebrities, did we tell you Magnus Bane showed up at th-" she began, attempting to change the subject. 

As Isabelle chatted about Magnus Bane, Alec's thoughts drifted. He wondered if Magnus was in the building now, or even if he was in New York. He wasn't sure how long the actor would be here to promote his new movie, perhaps Magnus had already gone home. Alec was mentally kicking himself for not taking him up on his offer of a date when he was pulled out of his thoughts by the mention of his name.

"-tweet about Alec: 'I'm not sure whether to be offended or doting! Also, is that Alexander in the background? #lovemeabarista' Isn't that cute?"

Clary gave a strained smile and was about to reply when a familiar voice could be heard from the table beside them. 

"Clarissa! You're friends with the café book kids? Oh, how wonderful!"

Magnus Bane was just about to sit down at the table next to them, and Alec recognised Raphael, the man that had collected the actor from their store. Magnus Bane was the celebrity Simon's friend worked with. Magnus Bane was dressed in the most extravagant, glittering jacket Alec had ever seen, wore tons of makeup and had green streaks in his hair.

Magnus Bane was here and thought that Alec didn't want to go on a date with him. Probably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is awful - way too much dialogue, terribly written and worst of all - barely any Magnus Bane. I apologise. If you keep with me, I can assure you that Chapter 3 will be better. Gosh that sounds very needy and awkward. Anyways. EDIT: I've changed it a little and wow, could someone remind me not to publish things at night because I get WAY too critical lmao


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm truly sorry for the long absence! I'm going through a mid-life crisis at the age of 16. Also, writers block. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Clary's eyes widened as she began to speak. 

"Magnus? What are you doing here? You're not supposed to...." she trailed off, looking to Raphael.

"He threatened to tweet his room number and the name of the hotel if I didn't let him come down."

Magnus had grabbed two chairs from the table he was at and dragged them over to theirs, plopping down in the one next to Alec. 

In his peripheral vision Alec could see the woman that had let them in storming over, stopping when she realised who Magnus was, and defeatedly turning around and walking back. He fought to suppress a smile. Raphael seemed to share her defeatist attitude, and Alec got a niggling feeling that Magnus was used to getting what he wanted. 

"He heard your phone call and wanted to meet Simon. He wasn't aware they had already been introduced," Raphael explained stiffly, glaring a little at Simon, as if it was his fault.

Clary still looked a little scared. 

"I thought....but, last time....Camille...I mean, it's an empty threat, Raph!"

Magnus waved her worries away with a flick of his ring-adorned hand. He wore a smug look and made sure to brandish his purple sparkly phone in Raphael's line of sight, reminding him of his threat.

"It'll be fine, darling. No one knows I'm here! And I doubt many of the people in here know who I am, and they'd be much too dignified to approach me if they did."

"They wouldn't be too dignified to sell your hotel room number to the tabloids," grumbled Raphael, grabbing a tiny sandwich.

"Neither would I," Magnus replied airily, making Alec wonder if it really was an empty threat.

Conversation turned back to Simon and Clary's reunion, and Alec tuned out once again. What would he do if Magnus asked about the date? Surely if was too late to take the man up on his offer? He forced himself to remember that the actor came across as a self-absorbed, annoying, entitled celebrity, who Alec wouldn't get along with.

He was broken out of his thoughts by someone muttering in his ear, hot breath making him start. 

"And so we meet again, pretty boy."

Magnus was smirking at him, the green glitter in his eyeliner making his eyes appear to be golden. 

"Did you think about that date?"

Alec rolled his eyes. In that split second, he resolved that Magnus was going to experience not getting what he wanted for once in his life. 

"No, I didn't. I completely forgot about that," he said, feigning remembrance.

Magnus looked a little shocked, mouth opening and closing before regaining his confidence.

"You didn't even remember it during your little movie marathon of films I'd been in?"

Alec blushed - he was caught.

"Uh, no, not even then."

"I'm curious, did you see Enchanting Emmett, the one about the strippers? I must admit, it was one of my favourites to film. I could give you a taste of it a little later if you want?"

Alec didn't think he could get any redder. He wasn't used to being flirted with so blatantly, and it didn't help that now images of Magnus stripping were running through his mind. He took a sip of water and used the few extra seconds to compose an answer.

"I'm not sure, I think I preferred your co-star. Luke Garroway, is it?"

Magnus clutched his heart and gasped dramatically in mock offence. He was about to reply, evidently something witty if his smug look was anything to go by, but he was interrupted by a yelp.

"Magnus, Camille is here."

Raphael was looking at his phone, annoyance and alarm gracing his features.

A look that Alec couldn't decipher passed over Magnus's face for a moment, before it returned to his usual teasing expression. He glanced lazily around the room.

"Hmm? I don't see her," he said finally, looking back to Raphael, who gritted his teeth.

"Not here, here, Magnus, just....in New York."

Raphael's expression softened a little and he seemed to be worried for Magnus, as if this woman's arrival would upset him.

"Should we throw her a welcome party?" Magnus asked wryly, raising an eyebrow. 

Raphael's hard expression returned and he rolled his eyes.

As the conversation went on, everyone seemed to forget about Camille, whoever she was. Magnus was still his usual self-absorbed, annoying (Alec was desperately trying to convince himself of this) self, if a bit more preoccupied. 

All was going well and Alec was happy for Simon, he seemed a world away from the anxious mess that he was before. However, wherever Simon goes, disaster and awkwardness follows.

The afternoon was coming to a close and the conversation was ending when Simon accidentally elbowed his cup, still half-full of cold coffee, onto Clary's white suit.

A torrent of substitute swear words escaped his mouth as he leapt to clean up the mess, blushing and pulling back as he realised he was rubbing her leg.

"Simon! Simon. It's fine. If you'll all excuse me, I'm gonna go to the bathroom to clean up."

Isabelle stood up and offered to help, and the girls made their way to an ornate door marked 'lavatory'.

"So, uh....Camille Belcourt, the ex, huh?" Simon asked, breaking the awkward silence. 

Alec resisted the urge to facepalm.

__________________________

Once the girls had returned everybody began to leave, Simon stumbling over apology after apology and Clary laughing, hugging him and assuring it was fine. They planned to meet up the next day, just the two of them, somewhere less fancy if Simon's lack of worry was anything to go by.

Magnus had pulled Isabelle aside, and the two spoke in hushed tones, giggling. Alec could only catch little bits of the conversation, the two stand out words being 'flowers' and 'cologne'. 

Within twenty minutes of arriving at his apartment, Alec found out what they had been talking about. He had changed out of the stuffy suit into sweatpants and was about to sit down and write when his phone dinged.

Unknown Number:  
Hello pretty boy, I have a question. Are you more of a flower or cologne man? 

Alec rolled his eyes and silently cursed Izzy for giving out his number. He ignored the text.

....for about five minutes, before he realised he had written half a sentence. Really, he was just going to reply so that he could forget about the text and carry on with his life, he rationalised.

 

Alec:  
Magnus, hi. If you really must know, flowers. May I ask why?  
A x

He sent the text before he could chicken out, and convulsed in horror when he realised he had put a kiss. He dimly noted that he was acting like a teenage girl with a crush, but he didn't care. Magnus would take the x as flirting.

.....would that really be a bad thing?

He didn't dwell on it for too long, as another text popped up.

Magnus:  
I like to do my research so I can woo the object of my affections ;-)

Alec felt a blush creeping up his neck and tried to come up with a funny reply, when his phone dinged once again.

Magnus:  
Now, why is it your dear sister didn't know this tidbit of information about you?

Fuck it, Alec thought. Would it really kill him to have a conversation with the guy?

_________________

The texts went on into the evening and Alec was surprised to find that Magnus was rather down to earth and they had a lot in common. 

By the time they were saying their goodbyes, Alec was no longer second guessing every word he wrote and was wondering if he had been too quick in deciding that he would never date the guy. 

When Magnus asked about the date again (persistent, much?) Alec accepted immediately. 

Shit. He was going on a date with a world-famous, Oscar-award-winning actor. He was going to need a new shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you all for your lovely comments so far :-) Malec date next and I promise, the wait won't be so long this time!


	4. Chapter 4

Alec had planned on keeping his date with Magnus a secret, but when he was caught online shopping for the third time by Isabelle while at work, he realised this would be impossible. 

"I've tried to ignore it big brother, I really have, but I'm curious as to what you're doing. You despise shopping, no?"

Alec felt himself flush at being caught once again and when he didn't answer right away, she sighed. 

"Look, if you tell me about whatever you're shopping for, I'll let you in on one of my secrets," she said conspiratorially.

Alec rolled his eyes and decided to give in, relaying what had happened after he arrived home the previous evening. So much for keeping the date a secret. 

When he had finished his brief explanation, Izzy clapped her hands and squealed. 

"We have to go shopping for a new shirt, and maybe jeans, a jacket, hmm?"

He chuckled as his sister began to make mental notes on what improvements needed to be made to his wardrobe before his date with a world-renown actor. 

As he started making an Iced Skinny Hazelnut Macchiato with a billion extras for a customer (who had ordered it as a 'Venti'; how many times did he have to say it - this wasn't Starbucks!) he remembered Izzy's promise.

"I told you my secret, what was yours, Iz?"

Her smile dropped for a fraction of a second before it returned bigger and brighter than ever.

"I didn't have one. I lied so you'd tell me yours," she answered, sticking her tongue out.

As she sauntered past him into the kitchen, Alec found himself thinking that he should really know better than to trust his siblings. 

__________________________

Except with clothing. He could definitely trust his siblings with clothes. The three of them had the afternoon off, their employees Maureen and Meliorn taking over, and they spent their time making a dressing room montage - or at least that's what it felt like. 

Jace had loaded his arms up with heavy leather jackets and Izzy had done the same with white t-shirts that were all at least two sizes too small. They insisted he try on every item they chose for him, and finally they had agreed on an outfit that was suitable to wear. 

Alec almost felt guilty when relief flooded through him when he was finally alone, until he remembered Izzy's continued suggestions (pleads) for him to get a haircut, and Jace's offers (threats) to do it for free.

____________________

Two days later, Alec was clad in his new denim shirt and black bomber jacket, walking towards an artisan café that didn't look dissimilar to Lightwood's. As he made his way closer and closer to the building he alternated between twiddling his thumbs nervously and stuffing his hands in his pockets, and either hurried along or forced himself to slow down. 

He wasn't late - he had made sure of that, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to mess this up some how.

Rationally, he knew that he hadn't even planned on going on the date in the first place. However, the less rational side of him was playing Magnus's teasing smiles and funny texts in his head, and was increasing his worry with every passing moment. 

When he finally reached the purposefully distressed door and stepped into the warm, welcoming café, he breathed a sigh of relief that Magnus was nowhere in sight. He ordered his black coffee, found an empty booth, and waited.

When the bell on the door rung, announcing the arrival of another customer, Alec immediately knew it was his date. Call it a gut feeling, or call it the fact that he has working ears, and the chatter around him became excited, people beginning to point out the new arrival to each other.

Oddly, though, he quickly realised that the name 'Magnus Bane' wasn't being mentioned - no one was sneakily taking pictures or accosting Magnus for a selfie (it was Magnus, Alec recognised the boots) or a signed napkin, and everyone seemed to go back to their previous conversations after a moment or two.

He strained his neck to see Magnus ordering his own coffee, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, apart from the fact that a famous actor was ordering what looked to be a rather elaborate coffee in this simple, cosy café.

Alec looked away as Magnus turned his head to survey the room, not wanting to be caught staring. He began to scribble random words in his notebook, determined to keep his head down until Magnus joined him at the booth.

A minute later, someone cleared their throat and a bouquet was thrust into Alec's face. 

Magnus was standing there, sunglasses and cap on, holding the bunch of flowers. Alec took them wordlessly, his mouth hanging open. The flowers were beautiful, and he guessed that had been what the customers had noticed. 

Magnus began to talk, saying "You know, this used to be my favourite coffee, but it pales in comparison to your delicious blen-" He trailed off with a smile as he realised that Alec was in a daze, staring at the flowers. 

During their texting, he and Magnus had gotten onto the subject of flower meanings, something that Alec was quietly obsessed with. He was a bit embarrassed about it, yet somehow he had let it slip. He blushed as he noted what flowers made up the bouquet: white Camellias, meaning 'You're Adorable', Amaryllises, meaning 'Splendid Beauty', and beautiful Tiger Lillies, which Alec didn't know the meaning of.

Either way, Magnus had basically complimented him with this odd selection of flowers, and Alec's heart swelled a little bit.

As he was staring at the bouquet, Magnus had sat down across from him and was removing his sunglasses and hat as he watched Alec. He whipped out his phone quickly and snapped a picture of Alec's hands wrapped around his coffee mug, bouquet lying next to it, and Alec woke up from his daze.

"Uh, I, uh......thank you. They're beautiful."

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Really? The florist looked at me as if I had claimed I was the son of Satan when I told her what flowers I wanted. Apparently all of them together wasn't her style."

"How exactly does one look when someone tells them that they're the son of Satan?" Alec asked, a smile tugging at his lips as he fought to keep his mock-inquisitive expression.

"Depends on the person. In this case, a mix of horror, disbelief....and a little constipation."

_________________________

They chatted easily, bantering back and forth, telling stories and revealing tidbits about themselves as they went. Magnus had just finished explaining why he was banned from Peru for a year, when Alec remembered the picture he had taken earlier.

"Hey, what's up with that picture you took when I was in a flower-induced stupor?"

Magnus smirked, and waved his phone. "It made for a nice instagram picture. Your hands looked very pretty wrapped around your mug." His smirk grew bigger, if that was even possible. "Although, they'd look even better wrapped around my-"

"Magnus! Darling!"

A woman came sauntering over to their table, arms outstretched and heels clacking. Her red lips were pulled into a smile, but as she took off her sunglasses Alec could see it didn't quite reach her eyes. 

"Camille." Magnus's smile was strained and fake, but Camille either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Long time no see. Such a coincidence to see you here!" Her eyes trailed over to Alec. "And who is this beautiful man?"

"This is Alexan-Alec. My date."

Her eyes lit up mischievously, as though that was the answer she was hoping for, and held out her hand. Alec took it cautiously. Magnus's eyes didn't leave Camille's face as she and Alec shook hands, his face guarded and devoid of emotion. 

"He's cute. Shame you're not one for proper relationships anymore, huh Mags? He'd make for beautiful arm candy."

Magnus gritted his teeth and let out a cold, fake laugh, and Alec looked between them, feeling awkward.

Isabelle had explained to him a few days previous that Camille was Magnus's ex-girlfriend, whom he had dated for three years. They were co-stars on a teen drama tv-show that ran for 5 seasons, and they fell in love when Magnus arrived on set to play Camille's crazy ex. Fans had adored the off-screen romance and so Magnus was brought back as a recurring character. 

Apparently they had a messy breakup, Camille having cheated and Magnus finding out in the middle of a panel at a fan event. There was a video of the moment he found out on youtube, but Alec had felt it would be disrespectful to watch. Although they had broken up over a year ago, and even with the circumstances, fans still 'shipped' 'Magnille' and frequently tried to ask questions regarding their relationship. While Camille played up to it, saying they would always love each other, but they had their differences, Magnus refused to comment. Izzy had theorised that Camille had planned the whole thing from the start to boost her career. 

Now, Camille was chatting about her life since they had last seen each other, Magnus nodding and humming absently, strained smile still in place. Finally, her stream of inane babble came to a halt when a barista called "Caramel Macchiato to go for Camille Belcourt!" from ye counter. 

"Ah, that's me! Lovely talking with you Mags, and so good to meet you, Eric." And with that, she was gone.

And, apparently, so was Magnus's good mood.

_____________________

Magnus had apologised for Camille's intrusion with a shrug and a joking smile, but his casual demeanour was gone. He still joked with and teased Alec, but it was obvious his mind was preoccupied with something Camille had said.

Alec was just conjuring up an excuse on why he had to leave so Magnus could be left in peace, when shouting began outside the café. Magnus's eyes widened. 

It took Alec's brain a few moments to catch up with what was happening. Magnus had grabbed Alec's hand, abandoning their coffers and giving him hardly any time to grab his notebook and the bouquet, and dragged him to the counter. 

Magnus muttered a few words to the barista and pointed at one of the windows. It was then Alec realised: paparazzi. 

The barista led them to a back room filled with coffee beans and pastries and left them with a promise to notify them when she had gotten rid of the paparazzi.

They stood in silence, Alec turning his phone over in his hands, contemplating whether or not to text Izzy about what had happened, Magnus fiddling with the plethora of rings that adorned his fingers. 

To Alec's surprise, it was Magnus who broke the silence.

"I'm...sorry I got all weird. Camille-well, you probably know about her..." A thoughtful look dawned on his face. "Actually, you didn't even know who I was, so you probably don't, do you?"

Alec blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Actually, uh, Izzy kind of....informed me."

Magnus chuckled, a genuine laugh this time, and Alec's heart jumped a little. 

"I should have guessed. Camille....I....we dated for quite a while, and oh god, you saw that video, didn't you?" 

"No, no! Absolutely not!" Alec rushed to reassure his date.

"It's slightly embarrassing - I practically had a mental breakdown when Camille started to answer a fan's question about her boyfriend with 'Quinn' rather than my name, and just answered the question about this random guy."

Magnus took a deep breath.

"I, uh, made a choking noise and ran from the stage, while Camille stayed there, calm and collected. They just continued letting fans ask questions, and that was that. I filmed one last episode before leaving - my character died in a tragic car crash, I think."

Silence fell over them as Magnus collected his thoughts. Sounds from the café filled it with cutlery clattering and soft conversations. 

"This...this was the first time I'd seen her since she collected her stuff from my place," Magnus said, breaking the silence. "It was a lot for me, I guess. Not that I still have feelings for her, she's a witch. I have a feeling she's the reason the paps found me today. Anyway, I'm sorry for dumping this all on you on our first date. Perhaps we should go on a second one so I can make it up?"

Magnus was smiling shyly and Alec grinned back.

"I'd love tha-"

He was interrupted by the barista returning. She wore an apologetic expression and as she entered the room she shrugged.

"I'm truly sorry, Mr Bane, but I don't think they'll leave any time soon."

Magnus groaned and pinched his nose. 

"Right. Alexander, I'm gonna have to go. I'll leave, let them get a few pictures of me, and once I've gone, with them trailing after me, you can leave. That okay?"

Alec nodded and blushed as Magnus pressed a brief, light kiss to his cheek. 

"As for you," Magnus turned to the barista and squinted at her nametag, "Lily, I'd appreciate if you kept this on the downlow." He rummaged in his satchel, pulling out a chequebook. "I can pay you more than any magazine would to keep the details of my date to yourself, can you do that?"

The girl nodded solemnly and Magnus handed her the cheque he had scribbled out. If her face was anything to go by, it contained more than a few zeroes. 

___________

When Alec arrived home, he put the flowers in a jug of water and pulled out his book on flowers meanings. 

Tiger lillies meant 'I dare you to love me'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gOD 2x18 was possibly the best, most emotional episode of Shadowhunters yet, it was INCREDIBLE!!


End file.
